Lack of response to abrogation of Art 370 upset me more: IAS officer Gopinathan
Chennai, Sep 4: IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned recently and claimed he did so over "denial of freedom of expression" to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday said more than the scrapping of special status under Article 370 "the lack of response" to it was more upsetting.
"None was asking the government. Suddenly we all became part of the government and all of us felt obligated to be part of something historic.... When institutions fail, individuals should stand up. There is no other way," he said at a public gathering here.
Nation-building takes a lot of persuasion, patience and a bit of coercion, Gopinanthan said adding more than the decision to do away with the special status, what happened after that was upsetting."The lack of response for it was more upsetting."
The 32-year-old officer of 2012 batch, who came into limelight after he hid his identity to join volunteers in relief work during the 2018 Kerala floods, had resigned last month while posted in Daman and Diu as Power Secretary.
"I had an issue with the Press Council of India saying it was okay with restrictions. Because media, the civil society and judiciary should do their job..., he said.
"People judge a decision by its effects, but the history judges decisions by the effects of its events. These days decisions are hailed as historic immediately after they are made without considering the second and third order effects," Gopinathan said.
He urged the public to demand transparency from the government, saying it was never supplied willingly.
The Kerala-born Gopinathan, who submitted resignation on August 21, had been asked by the government to resume duty and continue to work till his resignation was accepted.
His resignation, though, had made no mention of the Kashmir issue.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
